Following last year’s “Christmas in Paradise – The Honolulu City Lights” photo post, I’d like to share what went down at Honolulu Hale this holiday season. There were a few notable changes, including the seahorses standing guard outside the exhibition building, an octopus added to the main fountain area (a new addition to Hawaiian Santa’s posse) and an especially impressive display of wreaths in the annual contest (scroll down for the first place winner – a beautiful peacock made from old CDs).

Iolani Palace was open for night tours as well, as you can see from the long line in the photo above. The daytime tour is impressive enough; I can hardly imagine how beautiful it must be during the night.

As in the past year, the Christmas tree and outdoor displays were surrounded by lights, carnival rides and an illuminated train circling the grounds. The sweet and savory smell of Leonard’s Malasadas filled the air, courtesy of their busy truck, as well as the scent of kettle corn from nearby vendors. A trolley would occasionally pass, making itself known with lots of cheerful noise. And of course, there was the Christmas tree, standing tall with its changing display of lights.

Beautiful as always; Catching the Honolulu City Lights is a tradition I will never get tired of.